If you are looking for valuable hands-on medical experience, there are possibilities in the hospitals in Arusha. Medical interns work at rural health posts and community clinics. Participants spend the majority of their internship working as an assistant to a doctor/healthcare professional.
Work responsibilities vary with your education, skills, and previous experience. Interns interested in joining this internship must have health care certification, such as an ID as a medical student, EMT or paramedic certification, or nursing or physician's credentials.
Medical interns without credentials are not allowed to work in this program because of the potential liability risk. Job responsibilities of interns vary with education, skills, experience, and qualifications. Interns measure blood pressure, temperature, height, weight, as well as assist doctors. Interns may also help in health camps, distribute medication, advice patients about health, nutrition and sanitation as well as council patients and possibly participate in the treatment of minor injuries and wounds or maintain journals.
Work is from 20-30 hours per week. Volunteers are accommodated in a separate room at the orphanage or with host families, with local food three times a day. You may have to share room with another volunteer.
On the first day of the project you will meet a project coordinator, who will explain your role as a volunteer. The orientation will cover all the relevant information about your project, including safety issues. An individual timetable will be worked out for you based on how much time you want to commit to volunteering.
You will select a particular area of interest related to medical/healthcare issues and explore the issue further with the help of an assigned supervisor. Please note: the project supervisor DOES NOT develop internships. It is up to the interns to get as much as possible out of their projects.
